Girdle



V. L.. NOBBS Sept. 5, 1967 GI'RDLE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 9, 1965 NVEA/ro.

Sept. 5, 1967 GIRDLE 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Aug. 9, 1965 [NVE/vra?. EEST/2L L. A6555 rraeA/Eys.

Patented Sept. 5, 1967 3,339,554 GIRDLE Vestal L. Nobbs, 3334 Hacienda Blvd.,

Hacienda Heights, Calif. 91745 Filed Aug. 9, 1965, Ser. No. 478,128 6 Claims. (Cl. 12S-528) This invention relates to a foundation garment, and particularly to a girdle utilizing elastic materials for suitably simultaneously controlling the abdomen, hips and buttocks.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a slingtype buttocks reinforcement band that extends downwardly along the sides of the hips, and which defines side fulcrum and suspension points to which an abdominal reinforcement panel is also firmly anchored. These suspension points lie close to the hip bone and accordingly effectively transfer the forces of abdominal and buttocks control to the skeletal structure, all without body fatigue.

Another object of this invention is to provide a girdle of this character that, by virtue of the mode of transfer of control forces, achieves exceptional freedom for the user without sacrifice of essential control.

Another object of this invention is to provide a girdle of this character that has but one outside seam, thus ensuring that the garment is inconspicuous when worn. The external seam is situated along the cleavage line of the buttocks, and is reinforced, thus giving separat-ion and control.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel abdominal panel that achieves an unusual degree of comfortable support by forming a free shelf gently holding the abdominal flesh in position. The abdominal panel for this purpose has a free edge that acts independently of the body-encircling portion of the garment. To ensure that this free edge operates gently to lift the abdominal areas as the garment is donned, the width of the body-encircling portion along the free edge of the panel is greater than that of the panel. When the garment is finally positioned, the lower edge of the panel elongates to conform the dimension of the outer body-encircling portion.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of several embodiments of the invention. Fo-r this purpose, there are shown a few forms in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. These forms will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE l is a front elevational view of a panty girdle incorporating the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 3 is -an enlarged transverse sectional view taken along the plane corresponding to line 3--3 of FIG. 2, and illustrating the inside of the front of the garment;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the plane corresponding to the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the plane corresponding to line 5 5 of FIG. 2, and illustrating the inside of the rear of the garment;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along a plane corresponding to line 6-6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the abdominal panel; and

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of a modified girdle structure.

The girdle shown in FIG. l includes a body-encircling member 10 made preferably of a single piece of conventional lightweight, two-way stretch material. A vertical seam 12 (FIG. 5) is provided along the back of the garment. In the present instance, the girdle is a panty girdle. Accordingly, the front and back of the body-encircling member 10 have recesses 14 and 16 at which a three-part crotch panel 18 is attached. In a conventional manner, a panty girdle is thus formed. At the top of the girdle, the member 10 is turned inwardly and caught beneath a waistband 20 (FIG. 3).

A generally U-shaped sling 22 (FIG. 5) is sewn to the inside of the garment. This sling extends downwardly along the sides of the garment and then across the rear portion of the garment in upwardly spaced relation to the bottom edge thereof. The sling actually is notched slightly, as at 24, to avoid intersection with the upper rear portion of the crotch insert 18. The sides 26 and 28 of the sling extend all the way to the waist band 20, the sides being caught beneath the band 20. The sling 22 is preferably made of the same stretch material as the girdle member 10. All the edges of the sling are attached tol the girdle member 10 by zigzag stitching to ensure against the imposition of restraint on the elastic characteristics of the materials.

The sling sides have substantial width and, as shown in FIG. 3, extend substantially inwardly of the sides of the garment along its front portion. The sling sides substantially overlie the area corresponding to the top of the hip bone. The lower portion of the sling 22 is designed to provide a gentle uplift to the buttocks. The area of the rear of the girdle member 10 above the sling 22 being quite stretchable, the buttocks is neither confined nor unnaturally flattened. A reinforcing strip 29 (FIG. 5), attached along the rear seam 12, provides definition to the buttocks cleavage.

A generally rectangular front panel 30 (FIG. 7) is attached to the inside girdle member 10 -in a manner to be presently described. Diagonal bands 32 and 34 are attached to the panel 30 to provide areas of increased control. A reinforcing band 36 is falso attached across the bottom of the panel 30. A slightly elastic strip 38 (see also FIG. 4) reinforces the very bottom edge of the panel 30. The bands 32 and 34, the band 36 and the strip 38 are all attached to the front panel 30 by zigzag stitching to avoid restricting the stretch characteristics of the materials.

The top and side edges, but not the lower edge, of the front panel 30 are attached to the girdle member 10. The side edges, as shown in FIG. 3, overlap the edges of the sling sides 26 and 28. A common line of zigzag stitching 40 secures one side of the panel 30 and the edge of the sling side 26 to the girdle member 10. Similarly, a common line of zigzag stitching 42 secures the other side of the panel 30 and the edge of the sling side 28 to the girdle member 10. The top of the panel 30 is caught beneath the waist band 20. Two downwardly angled control bands 44 and 46 are attached to the girdle member 10. The ends of these control bands 44 and 46 are also caught by the stitching 40 and 42. The inner ends of the bands 44 and 46 terminate at the crotch area.

The normal width of the panel 30 is slightly less than v the width of the girdle member 10 that it underlies. Hence,

when the girdle is not worn, a slight buckling or gathering takes place in the overlying portion of the girdle member 10. As the girdle is donned, the free, but relatively firm, reinforced lower edge of the panel 30 draws upwardly as a rising shelf. Below the edge, the flesh is yrelatively free. Support and exceptional control are achieved without the feeling of undue confinement at the area above the pubic bone. The panel stretches, and the resilient force provides the requisite support. The overlying portion of the girdle member 10 has stretched less, or perhaps not at all. When in place on the body of the wearer, the width of the overlying portion of the girdle member 10 corresponds to that of the panel 30. Since the sides of the panel 30 are attached to the sides of the sling 22, the panel is firmly anchored.

A youthful, pleasing appearance is created while exceptional freedom for body motion is provided.

In -the form illustrated in FIG. 8,' the construction is identical, except that a .conventional girdle form is pro.- vided. The girdle member 10 is, in this instance, tubular in form, providing the legless style. In this for-m, as in the previous form, all lines of stitching are such as to allow elastic expansion along the lines of stitching.

The inventor claims:

1. In a girdle: a body-encircling girdle member; a generally U-shaped buttocks sling having sides extending downwardly along the side portions of said girdle and having a central portion extending along the lower back portion of the girdle member; said sling also having frontally extending portions substantially overlying the hip region of the wearer; an abdominal control panel located on the inside of the girdle member, and having side edges attached to spaced portions of the girdle member and along said frontally extending -portions of said sling sides; the girdle member and the control panel both being circumferentially resiliently stretchable.

2. The girdle as set forth in claim 1 in which the lower edge of said control panel is free of the girdle member.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2, in which the normal lateral dimension of the control panel along said lower edge is less than the corresponding dimension of said girdle member.

5 4. The combination as set forth in claim 3, in Which said control panel includes an elastic strip reinforcing said lower panel edge.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 4, in which said control panel includes crossed reinforcing bands.

6. The combination as set forth in claim 1, in which said control panel and said sling are joined to said girdle member by lines of stitching that permit elastic elongation along said lines of stitching.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,872,927 2/1959 Erteszek 12S-548 3,133,541 5/1964 Lewis et al 128-548 3,301,261 1/1967 Farino 12S-548 FOREIGN PATENTS 628,383 11/1961 Italy.

ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A GIRDLE: A BODY-ENCIRCLING GIRDLE MEMBER; A GENERALLY U-SHAPED BUTTOCKS SLING HAVING SIDES EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY ALONG THE SIDE PORTIONS OF SAID GIRDLE AND HAVING A CENTRAL PORTION EXTENDING ALONG THE LOWER BACK PORTION OF THE GIRDLE MEMBER; SAID SLING ALSO HAVING FRONTALLY EXTENDING PORTIONS SUBSTANTIALLY OVERYLYING THE HIP REGION OF THE WEARER; AN ABDOMINAL CONTROL PANEL LOCATED ON THE INSIDE OF THE GIRDLE MEMBER, AND HAVING SIDE EDGES ATTACHED TO SPACED PORTIONS OF THE GIRDLE MEMBER AND ALONG SAID FRONTALLY EXTENDING PORTIONS OF SAID SLING SIDES; THE GIRDLE MEMBER AND THE CONTROL PANEL BOTH BEING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY RESILIENTLY STRETCHABLE. 